Shahmahmood Miakhel is the Country Director in Afghanistan for the US Institute of Peace (USIP). Prior to that he was a Governance Advisor for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), and, from 2003–2005, a Deputy Minister of the Interior in the Government of Afghanistan. In 1994–1995 he worked for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in South and Southeast Afghanistan helping to establish District Rehabilitation Shuras (DRS). He also worked as a reporter for the Pashto service of the Voice of America from 1985–1990.
The Latest from Shahmahmood Miakhel
How the War May Reshape Iran’s Political Future
As the international community focuses on the regional and economic reverberations of the US-Israel-Iran war, the wartime experiences of ordinary Iranians and their aspirations for the future have received much less attention. Arash Azizi, a postdoctoral associate at Yale University and contributing writer at The Atlantic, joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj to discuss the war’s repercussions for the Iranian population and how the outcome of the conflict may shape the peoples’ lives going forward. Together, they explore Iran’s internal politics, the viability of the opposition, and the conditions needed to achieve democracy in Iran.
A Deal on Iran to Save NATO — and Ukraine
In the midst of a fragile cease-fire to the US-Israeli war on Iran, European leaders remain reluctant to get involved in another Middle Eastern war and are bristling under threats and insults from the US. As the NATO alliance frays and Russian attacks on Ukraine continue, the moment for Europe to take action has arrived, and is fleeting.
Turkey Sees Short-Term Pain, Long-Term Gain in the Iran War
The Iran war has posed significant immediate challenges for Turkey, including rising energy prices. But Turkish officials think that Ankara could reap benefits from the war in the long term.
Gulf Energy Disruption and the Fragility of Global Markets
American Bases in the Gulf: Targets or Deterrents?
Did the presence of American military bases in the Gulf monarchies draw those states into the American-Israeli war against Iran, a war they had no say in initiating and no voice in prosecuting? That is certainly the feeling among some citizens of those states.
A Failure to Communicate: Stalled Talks and Next Steps for the US and Iran
Zarif’s Peace Gambit Meets Tehran’s Limits
What made Mohammad Javad Zarif’s recent Foreign Affairs article so explosive was not simply what he proposed, but when and where he proposed it.
Nazanin Boniadi: How the World Can Help Iran’s Democratic Struggle
How the 2026 Iran War Is Reshaping US Foreign Policy
After Islamabad
Amb. Hale discusses three broad policy options for Washington following the failure of the US-Iran talks in Pakistan.
Syria’s 2026 Economic Outlook, Prospects, and Priorities
To Win a War, Know What You’re Fighting For
The US and Israel entered the war with three goals, and these goals were in tension from the start.
